A variety of automotive lift systems have been made and used over the years in a variety of contexts. An automotive lift is a device operable to lift an automobile such as a car, truck, bus, motorcycle, etc. to a desired height. Some types of automotive lifts are installed in-ground while other types are installed above-ground. Above-ground lifts may include one or more superstructures capable of engaging and lifting an automobile. For instance, such superstructures may include a plurality of vertically adjustable yokes secured to a plurality of posts with one or more runways secured thereto. Such superstructures may be selectively vertically adjustable along a height of the posts relative to the ground to thereby raise and/or lower an automobile relative to the ground. An automobile may be driven onto the runway(s) and thereafter, the superstructures may be raised or lowered to bring the automobile to a desired height. Afterward, the automobile may then be lowered once the user has completed his or her task requiring the automotive lift.
Examples of automotive lifts and related concepts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,287, entitled “Vehicle Lift,” issued Apr. 23, 1991, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,757, entitled “Lock Mechanism for Lift,” issued Sep. 10, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,916, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Synchronizing a Vehicle Lift,” issued Jul. 20, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,848, entitled “Multiple Movable Carriages with Multi-Radius Tracks and Tilted Rollers,” issued Aug. 9, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,322, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Synchronizing a Vehicle Lift,” issued Nov. 15, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,196, entitled “Electronically Controlled Vehicle Lift and Vehicle Service System,” issued Jan. 3, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,628, entitled “Multiple Movable Carriages with Multi-Radius Tracks and Tilted Rollers,” issued Dec. 5, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,191,038, entitled “Electronically Controlled Vehicle Lift and Vehicle Service System,” issued Mar. 13, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 8,083,034, entitled “Lift Control Interface,” issued Dec. 27, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0009360, entitled “System and Method for Measuring and Recording Distance,” published Jan. 8, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2011/0097187, entitled “Vehicle Guidance System for Automotive Lifts,” published Apr. 28, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; and U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012/0325587, entitled “Vehicle Lift with Front Platforms and Rear Carrying Arms,” published Dec. 27, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
While a variety of automotive lifts have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used an invention as described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.